There’s a new plan to help schools recruit more international students to California. The Business Journal’s Shana Lynch has more.

This program, called the Education & Training Export Consortium, started in Southern California in 2003 and is now expanding into Central and Northern California. It aims to help schools recruit overseas students and network about recruiting issues. International students contribute millions to the California economy. Last year alone, these students pumped $2 billion into the state and $70 million in the Sacramento area alone. But since Sept. 11, 2001, changes to the country’s security measures have affected the numbers of foreign scholars. Enrollment has dropped for three years in a row. The consortium met in Sacramento in June, drawing representatives from about 15 schools, including University of California Davis and McGeorge School of Law. The program hopes that, by including Northern and Central California, it can boost the statewide economy by an additional $2 million each year.